Bowling ball including adjustable balancing weight

ABSTRACT

A cylindrical weight made of plastic material is axially adjustable in a blind bore that extends radially into a bowling ball substantially centrally of the portion of the ball into which the fingerholes are to be drilled. The outer end of the bore is closed by a plastic plug. A screw is threaded through the weight and journaled at opposite ends in the bore. To adjust the weight, a screwdriver may be inserted through a hole in the plug to rotate the screw.

United States Patent 1111 3,591,177

[72] Inventor Samuel Joseph Skuse 1,026,069 5/1912 Bendelari 273/63 E 1382 Culver Road, Rochester. NY. 14609 3383109 5/1968 Jankiewicz et a1. 273/63 B [21] Appl. No 842,559 3,441,274 4/1969 Collins 273/63 E [22] Filed July [7, 1969 FOREGN PATENTS meme 320,203 10/1929 Great Britain... 273/63 E Primary Examiner-George J Marlo BALANCING WEIGHT 9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl 273/63 III. A cylindrical weight made of material is 43/04, A631) 65/06 axially adjustable in a blind bore that extends radially into a l new oi Seam 273/63 bowling ball substantially centrally of the portion of the ball l 56] References Cited into which the fingerholes are to be drilled. The outer end of the bore is closed by a plastic plug. A screw is threaded UNITED STATES PATENTS through the weight and journaled at opposite ends in the bore. 531,103 12/1894 Dokkenwadel 273/63 R To adjust the weight, a screwdriver may be inserted through a 863,126 8/1907 Wilson 273/63 E hole in the plug to rotate the screw.

PATENTEH JUL 6 I971 INVENTOR.

SAMUEL J. SKUSE ATT R E sowunc sxu. nert-misc AliJliSTABLE. sxrsucmc wsrcnr,

This invention relates to-bowling balls andmore particularly to bowling balls of the two finger or three finger type which have to be drilled for the fir'iger openingsto suit the fingerspan,.finger length, etc. of the bowler.

It is customary to manufacture bowling balls of this type so that a balljs slightly denser adjacent the top of the 'ball, or the area into which the fingerholes are to be drilled, so that as far as feasible the ball will bein balance-after the fin 'gerholes are drilled in it. Consequently, the balls are topweighted, and slightly out of balance at the time of manufacture. Ideally, the material which is drilled from the denser arcs of the ball to provide the fingerholes compensates exactly for the imbalance caused by the denser portion bf the ball, so that, theoretically, after the fingerholes have been drilled, the ball is perfectly balanced. Because different bowlers require'holesof different depths and differently spaced; apart, the drilling of the holes,

or-bottom weights balls most suitable to the conditions of the alleys on which they are to bowl.

It is an object of this invention to provide a bowling ball, which can be perfectly balanced after the fingerholes have been drilled into the ball. l

Another object of the invention is to provide a'bowling ball, which will permit of adjustment'of the ball to have a desired imbalance within the limits permitted by generally-accepted rules of the game, so that itf will no longer be a need for a bowler to carry' several bal'lsli'lo this end a more specific object of the invention .is to provide a bowling ball balancing device, which can be mounted adjustably in a'bowling ball selectively to permit accurate balancing or minor imbalancing of the ball after drilling the fingerholes in the ball.

Still another object of -theinvention is to provide a novel bowling ball which contains-an adjustable balancing means 4 that is made from plastic and is similar to the material from after thefingerholeshave been drilled .in the ball;

FIG. .2 is a fragmentary sectional view, of this ball taken alongtthe line 2-2 in'FlG. l looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is an elevationof this ball on .a substantially reduced scale, illustrating the disposition of the balancing device relative-to thefinger holes in the ball;.and

'FlG.=4 is.a view-similar to FlG.il ,;.but on a smaller scale,.and illustrating a modified bowling ball incorporating balancing means made in accordance with a further embodiment of this invention.

Mounted'in the bore 12 coaxially thereof, for'-examplewith a press fit, is an elongate plastic tube-or sleeve 14 having in its inner peripheral surface a narrow, axially. extending slot or keyway 16. The inner end of sleeve '14 rests on the outer, marginal portion of a flat plastic washer 18, which is seated on the flat bottom of the blind-bore l2; and sleeve l4 is shorter than the bore 12 so that the outer or upper endv of thesleeve is spaced axially inwardly from the outer end of bore 12. Mounted for axial reciprocation in the bore of sleeve is a cyIindricaLaxially bored plastic block or weight 20. Secured in a recess in the outer peripheral surface ofweight 20 to project slidably into a keyway l6 in sleeve 14 is a plastic key. 22.

Mounted to thread into a threaded axial bore in weight 20 is an'externally threaded plastic screw shaft 24, which has on'its inner or lower end a reduced diameter teat '25 that extends rotatably through a hole inwa'sher 18 into a recess or socket 26 formed in the ball 10 at the. bottom of bore 12. At its outer end screw 24 has an enlarged-diameter head 27, which is connected to the threaded shank portion of the screw by a reduced-diameter neck portion 28. in its outer end head 27 has a kerf or slot 29 to accommodate the head of a conventional screwdriver. The overall length of screw 24 is slightly less than the depth of bore 12,, so that the head 27 of the screw is spaced slightly axially inwardly from the outer end of bore 12.

The .upper end of sleeve 14 is closed by a plastic split washer v '34, which surrounds the neck portion 28 of screw. 24, and the Referring now to-ithe drawing by numerals of reference,-and

first to "FlGSr'l to 3 inclusive,'10 denotes,generally..-a bowling ball having therein an elongate, cylindrical blind bore "12, which extends-from the-'outersurfaee .of the ball radially inwa'rdly toward, andslightly beyond, the center thereof.

marginal, peripheral portion of which rests on the upper end of sleeve 14. Y I

A plastic plug '36, which is made from material similarto that'of the ball 10, and whose outside surface is cylindricalto conform to the outside'surface of the ball, is secured by a conventional adhesive in the bore 1 2 above the head 27 of the screw. Plug '36 has an axial bore 35 that accommodates the screw head 27, when plug .36 is fastened in the ball, to permit adjustment of screw 24 by a screwdriver.

The ball illustrated is a three-finger ball with holes 37, 38 and 39 drilled therein. The invention is also applicable, however,*to two finger balls. The bore 12 extends in the same general direction as the finger holes, not transversely thereto.-

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, wherein .like numerals are employed to designate elements similar to those employed in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the sleeve 14 is eliminated, and thekey 22 instead projects slidably into an axially extending groove 42 formed in the wall of the blind borel2, which is counterbored .at its upper end to provide a seat for washer 34. when screw 24is rotated the weight 20 in ba'll40 reciprocates' directly in bore 12 rather than in a separate sleeve.

When the ball leaves the factory it may contain the tube 14, plug 20, screw 24, and washers l8.and 34; or it may be constructed as is the ball-40 shown in FIG. V4. in thecase of balls already in use, the bowler may obtain the advantages .of the present-invention by having his :ball rebored to receivea tube 14 and have the tube 14, weight 20, screw 24 and associated .parts mounted therein asshown in FlG. l.

After the fingerholes .have been drilled in a ball, screw mayberotatablyadjusted .byascrewdriver to shift the weight 20. According =to.prevailing rules,.abowling ba'll weighing 10 .pounds .or over may not have more than a 3 ounce difference between the top (fingerhole section) and bottom (solid section opposite fingerhole section) halves of the ball. ,A' bowler may, depending upon the conditions ofthe particular lane in which he or she is'bowling, wish to bring his or'her ball toperbalanceinzbottomweight; and when it is adjustedtoits outermost position adjacent the outer end of the bore .12, the ball has a g2%-.ounce top weight imbalance. Weight 20.can.thus .be shifted tovary-theball imbalanced within these limits, or it can single ball adjustable to suit any type or condition of alley, thus'obviating the need for carrying morethan a single ball to a match.

mental spherical plug secured in the outer end of said blind bore to close said bore,

From the foregoing it will be apparent that applicant has developed a relatively simple but extremely accurate device for balancing a bowling ball. To conform with prevailing rules 5 the adjusting mechanism is made from plastic materials generally similar to the material from which the ball itself is made. For example, the screw 24 may be made of nylon, the weight from Teflon, and the sleeve 14, cap 36 and washers l8 and 34 from acrylic resins. By locating this adjustment mechanism in the denser portion of the ball, it is possible to use a smaller mechanism for effecting changes in the balance of the ball,"as'compared to the size that would be necessary if the mechanism were to be mounted in a different, or less dense part of the ball. Also for this reason, it is not necessary to extend the bore. 12 completely through the ball, but merely slightly beyond the center thereof.

The adjustable mechanism described herein will provide a Whileit is desirable to place bore 12 and the associated balancing mechanism in the ball prior to drilling the fingerholes, it will be understood that the balancing mechanism may instead be inserted after the fingerholes have been drilled.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: l. The combination with a bowling ball of the type having therein spaced finger openings for gripping the ball, of adjustable balancing means, comprising a cylindrical weight mounted for limited axial adjustment in weight is made of material similar to the material from which said bowling ball is made.

3. The combination as defined in claim 2, including a segsaid plug also being made of material similar to that of said ball.

4. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for preventing-the rotation of said weight comprises a sleeve secured in said bore and surrounding said weight coaxially thereof, w

an elongate, axially extending slot formed in one of the confronting peripheral surfaces of said sleeve and said weight respectively, and a key projecting radially from the other of said confronting surfaces slidably into said slot. 5. The combination'as defined in claim 4, where said screw has a reduceddiameter inner end rotatable in a registering recess formed in said ball centrally of the bottom of saidblind bore, said screw has an enlarged-diameter head on its outer end,

and said mounting means comprises a washer surrounding said screw beneath the head thereof, and slidably engaged at its outer peripheral surface with the wall of said blind bore to support said screw coaxially of said bore. 6. The combination as defined in claim 5, wherein the outer end of said sleevelis spaced axially inwardly from the outer end of said blind bore, said washer overlies said outer end of said sleeve, and said head overlies said washer and is axially spaced inwardly from said outer end of said blind bore. 7. The combination with a bowling ball of the type having fingerholes therein for gripping the ball, of adjustable means for balancing the ball comprising a weight adjustable rectilinearly in the ball in a blind bore in the ball that extends in the same general direction as the fingerholes, and a screw threaded into said weight and adjustable to shift said weight rectilinearly in said bore, and a plug closing the outer end of said bore, said weight, said screw and said plug being made of materials similar to the material of said ball, and said plug having an outer spherical surface matching the surface of said ball, and having therethrough an axial bore registering with said screw to allow adjustment thereof. 8. The combination as claimed in claim 7, wherein said bore is of a depth and said screw is of a length to permit adjustment of said weight in said bore only within predetermined prescribed limits to limit the amount of imbalance'that may be imparted to said ball by adjustment of said weight.

9. The combination as claimed in claim 8, wherein said limits are predetermined so that the maximum imbalance that may be imparted to said ball is 3 ounces. 

1. The combination with a bowling ball of the type having therein spaced finger openings for gripping the ball, of adjustable balancing means, comprising a cylindrical weight mounted for limited axial adjustment in a blind bore which extends partway into said ball centrally of said finger openings, a screw threaded into said weight, means mounting said screw adjacent opposite ends thereof for rotation coaxially of said bore, and means interposed between said weight and said bore to prevent the rotation of said weight upon the rotation of said screw, whereby upon the rotation of said screw said weight is shifted axially in said bore.
 2. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said weight is made of material similar to the material from which said bowling ball is made.
 3. The combination as defined in claim 2, including a segmental spherical plug secured in the outer end of said blind bore to close said bore, said plug also being made of material similar to that of said ball.
 4. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for preventing the rotation of said weight comprises a sleeve secured in said bore and surrounding said weight coaxially thereof, an elongate, axially extending slot formed in one of the confronting peripheral surfaces of said sleeve and said weight, respectively, and a key projecting radially from the other of said confronting surfaces slidably into said slot.
 5. The combination as defined in claim 4, where said screw has a reduced-diameter inner end rotatable in a registering recess formed in said ball centrally of the bottom of said blind bore, said screw has an enlarged-diameter head on its outer end, and said mounting means comprises a washer surrounding said screw beneath the head thereof, and slidably engaged at its outer peripheral surface with the wall of said blind bore to support said screw coaxially of said bore.
 6. The combination as defined in claim 5, wherein the outer end of said sleeve is spaced axially inwardly from the outer end of said blind bore, said washer overlies said outer end of said sleeve, and said head overlies said washer and is axially spaced inwardly from said outer end of said blind bore.
 7. The combination with a bowling ball of the type having fingerholes therein for gripping the ball, of adjustable means for balancing the ball comprising a weight adjustable rectilinearly in the ball in a blind bore in the ball that extends in the same general direction as the fingerholes, and a screw threaded into said weight and adjustable to shift said weight rectilinearly in said bore, and a plug closing the outer end of said bore, said weight, said screw and said plug being made of materials similar to the material of said ball, and said plug having an outer spherical surface matching the surface of said ball, and having therethrough an axial bore registering with said screw to allow adjustment thereof.
 8. The combination as claimed in claim 7, wherein said bore is of a depth and said screw is of a length to permit adjustment of said weight in said bore only within predetermined prescribed limits to limit the amount of imbalance that may be imparted to said ball by adjustment of said weight.
 9. The combination as claimed in claim 8, wherein said limits are predetermined so that the maximum imbalance that may be imparted to said ball is 3 ounces. 